The Green Bay Packers weren’t able to escape a horrible start on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. And Packers head coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear questions about that poor start in his post-game press conference.
Green Bay had a number of mistakes in the first half that culminated in a 27-3 halftime deficit. And when LaFleur was asked about the poor first half, he called their performance “embarrassing”.
“We’ve gotta block a hell of a lot better,” LaFleur told sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung. It’s very humbling and embarrassing right now… We’ve gotta be able to look each other in the eye, man to man, and give it up for one another this whole second half. I want to see this team FIGHT!”
"We've gotta block a hell of a lot better… It's very humbling and embarrassing right now… We've gotta be able to look each other in the eye, man to man, and give it up for one another this whole second half. I want to see this team FIGHT!"- Packers head coach Matt LaFleur pic.twitter.com/GXMtdLYioj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 29, 2023
LaFleur’s message seemingly resonated with his team, as the Packers did compete much better in the second half. They were able to claw back into the game and make it competitive, but the poor first half was simply too much to overcome. The Lions came away with a 34-20 victory.
The last time a Detroit Lions coach won four straight games against the Packers, Ronald Reagan was the US President…in his first term. pic.twitter.com/5tiGRwWKH6
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 29, 2023
Even though his team did make it close, the questions after the game were all about their poor start. And LaFleur wasn’t exactly in the happiest mood talking about the team’s struggles in the first half yet again.
He was asked by a reporter what caused the struggles in the first half, where he angrily responded with a brutally honest assessment of his team.
“I mean, we sucked Pete,” said LaFleur to the reporter. If I knew, it wouldn’t have happened. That’s a BS question, man.”
"We got our ass kicked. If I knew it, it wouldn't have happened… That's a BS question, man."- Packers head coach Matt LaFleur https://t.co/6KPxsm7vg4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 29, 2023
It wasn’t exactly an unreasonable question from the reporter, who is still unidentified at this point. But obviously, no coach wants to lose, and the frustration from that certainly be tough on some people.
With this loss, the Lions take sole possession of the NFC North lead, while the Packers drop back to 2-2 on the year one game back of the Lions.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.